VIDEO ESSAY: In Memory of Paul Mazursky 1930–2014

VIDEO ESSAY: In Memory of Paul Mazursky 1930–2014

Paul Mazursky made movies about what was happening around
him. Mazursky honed in on the cultural climates of the
eras during which his films were produced. Whether it was the strife of marital
discourse found in the 60s and 70s (from Bob
& Carol & Ted & Alice’s freewheeling “free love” sentiment
to An Unmarried Woman’s study of sexual
liberation) or the timeless theme of searching for a renewed, meaningful
identity (Tempest, Moscowon the Hudson and, to some extent, Down and Out in Beverly Hills), Mazursky told stories of the
moment and more effectively, presented a cinema of palpable feelings.

Mazursky was, first, a prolific Hollywood
character actor; he even played Tinseltown types in several of his own films.
Perhaps it was this affinity, this affection for actors that lent gravitas to his directing of his own films. Many of his films were about the upper middle
class: people with careers, relationship problems, anxieties about the economy,
and the overwhelming dread of just being “ordinary.” And yet, Mazursky really
loved these characters. He watched them. He followed them. His camera
roved the interiors of homes and other locales with patient, observant contemplation.
Because of his delicate orchestration of writing, music, and themes, Mazursky’s work as a filmmaker set him apart from his
peers. In his time, nobody listened to or looked at this group of damaged souls with as
much bruising honesty and scathing humor as Mazursky did. In a 1978 interview
with Film Comment, Mazursky addressed this: “[Middle-class life
is] on the edge of soap opera and the edge of real; it’s alienated and
confused, almost tragic. It’s become popularized in one way or another, but I
haven’t seen it dealt with much in American cinema on a level which
communicates real feeling. I’ve seen it dealt with through humor, a bit. But
not with real feeling.” Thanks to Mazursky’s distinct body of work as director,
we all have the gift of seeing these cinematic works of “real feeling” again
and again.

Nelson Carvajal is an independent digital filmmaker, writer and content
creator based out of Chicago, Illinois. His digital short films usually
contain appropriated content and have screened at such venues as the London Underground Film Festival. Carvajal runs a blog called FREE CINEMA NOW
which boasts the tagline: “Liberating Independent Film And Video From A
Prehistoric Value System.” You can follow Nelson on Twitter here.